Category Archives: Lifestyle

A Girl With Too Much Time On Her Hands!!

Good evening!!

My sweetie has been work every night for the past three weeks, so needless to say someone has WAAAAAAY too much time on her hands!! This evening, I ran to our local super center, whose name shall remain unnamed!! Picked up a whole plethora of toiletries, house supplies, and jammies – some women turn to chocolate when they are lonely, I turn to shopping for jammies!!

ESPECIALLY SCRUMPTIOUSLY SOFT JAMMIES!!!

Is that just me? Or is there anyone out there who also needs a therapist!??? 😉

Anyway, since my sweetie is working in town, my habit this week has been to stop by his worksite and take him a healthy snack and visit with him for a few minutes while he enjoys his snack! THAT has probably been my FAVORITE times of the week!! I dream of someday having a child, and being able to take little him or her out to daddy’s job site and share some goodies and memories with him in that way!! So, I feel like I got a bit of a taste of that future this week!!! Tonight’s snack was some skim milk – his FAVORITE!! Some clementines AKA Cuties – so yummy!! and a bit of beef jerky, which is really great and easy way to get some protein in for us post bariatric patients.

After I met the gentleman he is doing work for, a very nice man, I zipped on home and made a big pot of a lean-ground-sirloin-chock-full-of-vegetables-and-beans kind of mixture to use to stuff baked bell peppers! They are currently baking in the oven, and they are making the house smell so delicious!!! I will top with some skim milk mozzarella and they will be ready to serve!! I know my sweetie will LOVE those!! Those are one of his FAVORITE of my meals!!! 😉

My official plan for this evening after I finish blogging tonight will be to spend some quality time with the new Country Living magazine that came in the mail today – one of my NEW magazine subscriptions!! I figure that if I were to get my magazines via subscription then it would save me money, so I immediately subscribed to FOUR magazines!! EEK!! I hope I have time to sit and really read them all!! Oh, at least I will sure have a hell of a lot of fun trying!!! 😉

Before I go, one quick word on all of the pics in this post. These would explain why I called tonight’s post, “A Girl With Too Much Time On Her Hand!!” because while I was waiting for the bell pepper stuffing to cook, I decided I would spend some eh-hum…”quality” time playing with my camera!! 😉 HEE! HEE!! 😉

Man, I could really use some more girlfriends…any volunteers???? 🙂

Anyway, I can hear the oven beeping at me, telling me dinner is ready!!!

With that…

Here is to a FABULOUSLY ARTSY evening!! 😉

If you want to have a different life, you have to live differently!!

The Barn House Show 2013

Good evening!

This past Saturday, I got to spend the day on my own with no responsibilities. With my camera in hand, and I headed out to Turner, Oregon to spend some time down at The yearly Barn House Show! I like to try and get out there every year, get inspired, and see if I can find any treasures to take home with me.

The Barn House show is held every year at the Turner Memorial Tabernacle! This building is HUGE, and I often dream about purchasing it and turning it into my sweetie and my dream home!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAW!! That would be AWESOME!! 😉 and check out how BLUE that sky was!! 😉

I love this chippy little sign, and I saw it as soon as I walked in – how fitting!! 😉

I think these bottles were faux mercury glass! I had just stumbled onto some instructions on how to do this, and I may have to give this technique a try. So pretty!!

Who knew that an old painted, rusty ceiling tiling could be so beautiful??? I LOVE this!!;-)

This chair is JUST SO ME!!! I love the sexy, curvy shape, and I simply ADORE the zebra stripes!!! 😉

Being a bibliophile, I just LOVE finding unique bookends, and these ones are so industrial-chic!!! BRAVO!! 😉

I just LOVE this oversized wall clock!!

This bag is tres cute! I need to learn how to sew me some ruffles!! 😉

I love these signs!! I dream that one day my sweetie and I will be able to say, “Welcome to our farmhouse!!” 😉

My sweetie thought this marionette was creepy, but I have ALWAYS LOVED harlequin clowns, and I just FELL IN LOVE WITH HIM as soon as I saw him (that applies to both my sweetie and this cute little clown)!!! 😉

Every single one of these items could EASILY find a place in my home!! 😉

I really never knew I was such a industrial-chic kind of girl, but I really just LOVE the mix of architectural details, rust, and a bit of chippy paint!!

Who couldn’t use more glittered feathers in their life??? I know I could!! 😉

I LOVE these brooches!! 😉

AIEEEEE!!! I LOVE these ones too!!! 😉

These last three pics are all from one of my FAVORITE vendors down at Aunt Bee’s House – you might recognize a couple of these quilts from my post on Aunt Bee’s House a couple of weeks ago!! To see more of that, click Here!

Who knew that metal siding could double as art?? I need to get me some of this!! 😉

I love this vintage button bracelet!! I could use this in my accessory wardrobe!! 😉

I have always wanted an oversized mirrored armoir like this!! It always reminds me of the book, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe!

I had such a great time at The Barn House Show, spending the day seeing all of the vendors’ booths, and all of the treasures for sale, and the weather truly could NOT have been more perfect!! I ended up taking a few vintage magazines home, as well as a stack of vintage crochet books!! SCORE!!! 😉 I really do look forward to going every year, so if any of you are in the area, and would like to go with me I think that would be a BLAST!!! Don’t you??? THE MORE THE MERRIER!!! 😉

With that said…

Here is to a FABULOUS evening!! ;-)

If you want to have a different life, you have to live differently!!

Looking for Beauty at Aunt Bee’s House!

Good evening!

I am so very excited to share this post with you this evening, but before I get too ahead of myself, I wanted to tell you a little bit of back story on this post! Last week, I went to one of my FAVORITE shops here in town, Aunt Bee’s House! Aunt Bee’s House is a large marketplace for people to rent space to sell their home furnishings, decorative items, gifts, and other beautiful treasures!! When I find that I am needing to get some retail therapy, some inspiration for doing some decorating in my little condo, find a new color combination ideas for my next arting project, or if I am need of a unique and perfect gift for a friend or family member – Aunt Bee’s House is my go-to place of choice!!

Well, anyway I had gathered up the nerve to introduce myself to the staff, and ask if I could take some pictures so that I could post them on blog, This Artsy Life. That may not sound like a big deal, but me being eternally shy and having a tendency to want to remain invisible when I am out on the town by myself, I was pretty dang proud of myself!! Well, of course the staff of Aunt Bee’s House being SO AMAZING, welcoming and friendly, they said “yes” immediately, and off I went – snapping away!!! I was such a happy girl, and I think I came home with something like 200 pictures!!

Needless to say, it was a GREAT day!! 🙂

Well, long story short, I got home placed my camera card in my computer, and my computer essentially ate all of my pictures!! UGH!!

I would love to tell you that me being the new brave and outgoing Christina, I turned around went right back and started the process all over again, but alas that is not how it went down! 🙂 It literally took me another week to gather up my courage again to go back and ask if I might take those pictures again!! The FABULOUS staff so graciously said “yes” again, and again I spent a lovely afternoon just snapping away!! Finding all sorts of treasures and beautiful items to delight the senses. I can’t believe it had taken me so long to get back there!! I REALLY LOVE THIS PLACE!!! 😉

Soooo…

Tonight I am very happy to share with you some of the pictures that I took while at Aunt Bee’s House.

Here we go!! 🙂

This is what you see when you first walk in to the shop! The colors of these quilts are so happy and joyful, that I think that quilting may become my next hobby/passion!! Oh man, what is my sweetie going to think about that??? 😉

I am really loving teal painted furniture!! Hmmmm…I wonder how my sweetie would feel about having his dresser painted teal?

I love this little vignette! 🙂 The lamps, the bowl of green apples, the books, the horse, everything!! LOVE! LOVE! LOVE!!

I love the juxtaposition of this stripped wooden vessel and the red vintage books.

and how about these two large gears??? Aren’t they just AMAZING???? I am SERIOUSLY thinking about going back and bringing these two manly studs home!!! 🙂

Who knew that oil can could be chic? Well, apparently they can be!!! 🙂

I am LOVING this headboard! The colors, the restic-ness of it, and maybe just the ingeniousness use of recycled fence posts!!

These are decorative storage boxes that looks like books with tapestry covers! VERY SPRINGY!! 😉

I love this vignette too! The books, plant pot, bird, and yes even the doily!! Who knew that I was going to have to start thinking about getting a doily?? My mama would be very proud!! 😉

I LOVE this LOVE sign!! 😉

Aren’t these just the cutest?? They are weighted pillows! I could see myself using these as a door stop for my front door!! SO SWEET!!

This is SUCH an INGENIOUS way to display simple ribbon roses!! I may have to give this project a try!! 😉

I am a SUCKER for colored glass vessels, and this BLUE is just STUNNING!!! 😉

I may need a whole slew of these to decorate all over our place!! I just LOVE rustic stars, and the glitter really adds a but of glam!!

This mannequin FASCINATES me!! Whoever gets to take this love figure home is my hero!! I LOVE THIS!!!

This little lady was kind of tucked in the back of this display, and as soon as I saw her, I knew she just needed to be brought forward and with a little bit of rearranging she is now the ROCK STAR of this vignette!! 😉

Here is another vignette that makes me happy to look at! I am really digging the message of this teal sign. “Thank God for blessing me much more than I deserve!” This has become my motto on almost a daily basis!! 😉

I am just CRAZY about this white chippy dresser!! TRES CHIC!!! 😉

I am so impressed by this paper wreath!! Someone has some SERIOUS patience!! 😉

I love this rack!! I could see this in my place being used as our mail rack…or maybe a medicine rack…or maybe a spice rack…or maybe as an organizer in my art studio…or maybe as a…or as a…!! I KNOW, IT IS A SICKNESS!!! 🙂

This is a message that I am going to try and apply to my life this week!! Enjoy the Little Things!! 🙂

Here is another one of those FABULOUS quilts!! See what I mean?? I love this design and the colors!! I would LOVE to have a new, homemade quilt for our bedroom!!! Sooooo cheery!!!

Well, there you have it!!! I hope you have enjoyed all of these pictures, as much as I had taking them!!! If you happen to be in the Salem area, I would highly recommend visiting Aunt Bee’s House!! I KNOW there will be THE PERFECT treasure waiting there JUST FOR YOU!!!

Thank you to the INCREDIBLE staff at Aunt Bee’s House for letting me share your lovely shop with my readers. I am greatly impressed by everything about your shop, there is such a welcoming, homey feeling that is evident as soon as you walk in the door!!!! I will most DEFINITELY be back in again!! 😉

To my readers, I want to make sure you know that I am in no way compensated by Aunt Bee’s House, and all of the opinions expressed are solely my own!! I hope you enjoyed all of these pictures!! 😉

Here is to a FABULOUS evening!! ;-)

If you want to have a different life, you have to live differently!!

Bliss List Friday!

Good afternoon!

I realize it has been a while since I have last posted, but mama has been soooo busy this past week! I had a HUGE test today, that I had been seriously cramming for!! Some of you may not know this, but it my normal day job, I am a computer programmer, which is almost the exact opposite of how my brain was naturally wired to function!! 😉 So, when I find out that I have to take a test to get certified in something for work, it really takes a LOT of hunkerin’ down and trying REALLY hard to get the information to stick into my poor brain!! 😉

Anyway, the test is done – WHEW!!! I am not exactly sure that I don’t have to take it again in a couple of weeks, but hopefully I’ve passed and that messy business is ALL DONE!!! 😉 That was me speaking in my best Paula Deen inspired southern drawl, honey!!! 😉

In honor of my test being done, and it now being my official start to my weekend! YEAH!!! I have decided that it is high time to get back to my Friday Bliss List posting!! I think it is so important to live a life of gratitude, especially when life can be a little bit hectic, so here is what I am thankful for this week!

My Friday Bliss List:

I am sooooo thankful that my test is done!
I am sooooo thankful that it is the weekend!
I am sooooo thankful that I get to spend some time with my four-legged girls this evening, enjoying a quiet house!
I am sooooo thankful that my sweetie has been helping us keep our bed made every day!! There is nothing better than heading to bed after a long day and realizing that your bed is already made, and just calling for you to come snuggle down, and get comfy!!
I am sooooo thankful that I got to spend some time this week FaceTiming with my sissy, Alex!! She is sunshine personified!!! I am ONE LUCKY GIRL to be able to call her Sister!! 😉
I am sooooo thankful for my girlfriends at the office! What would I EVER do without my peeps???
I am sooooo thankful to have been able to spend a day playing at one of my favorite shops here in town, Aunt Bee’s House!! I will hopefully be able to share those pics with you tomorrow!!! 😉
I am sooooo thankful that, because a change in his weekend work plans, my sweetie gets to stay in town this weekend, which means we are going to get some quality fun time playing together this Sunday – I CAN’T WAIT!!!
I am sooooo thankful that I get to spend some time arting in my art studio this weekend, it has been MUCH TOO LONG!!!!
I am sooooo thankful for my life!! Life is SERIOUSLY good! I know that I am blessed, and just knowing THAT helps me stay in gratitude!!

There you have it!! I hope that you all have your own Bliss List of blessings that you can call on at a moments’ notice too!!

Here is to a FABULOUS evening!! ;-)

If you want to have a different life, you have to live differently!!

Friday Bliss List! (thisartsylife.wordpress.com)
Bliss List Friday! (thisartsylife.wordpress.com)
Bliss List Friday! (thisartsylife.wordpress.com)
Bliss List Friday (thisartsylife.wordpress.com)
Bliss List Friday! (thisartsylife.wordpress.com)

Artist Date Nights and Paris!

Good evening!

Thursday nights in our house is artist date night, which means my sweetie goes out to spend some times with the guys, and I squirrel away doing something creative, like maybe some arting, or watching a fabulous movie, or taking myself out to see something beautiful!

Tonight I have chosen to watch what I am hoping will be a fabulous movie!! That movie is called Paris was a Woman, directed by Greta Schiller. The NetFlix description of this movie says,

“With home movies and intimate storytelling, this documentary re-creates the mood of Paris’s unique female artistic community between the World Wars.”

You may not know this about me, but I have always had a love affair with all things French!! I may have been born an American, I have always been a Francophile at heart!!!

I love…

the people,
the culture,
the architecture,
the history,
the sense of community,
the pace,
the countryside,
the language,
the fashion,
the food,
the music,
I LOVE IT ALL!!

Ok, well, since I have never actually been to France yet, I love the idea of all of the marvelously beautiful things!! I love watching French movies, I love reading French books, and I just adore French music!!

So, tonight for my artist date, I have decided to submerge myself some more into my love of all things French by watching this movie!!

Here is to a FABULOUSLY ARTSY evening!! 😉

Bonsoir!

If you want to have a different life, you have to live differently!!

My time in Paris. (osianwilliams.wordpress.com)
It’s a Nice Day for a Picnic in Paris (insidethefashiondollstudio.com)
Paris Is Always a Good Idea – Part One (shirleymaya.com)
Thinking of Paris (gabrielleinparisx.wordpress.com)

Time for a Change!

Good morning!

I am not sure if you have noticed, maybe you have, but I really haven’t been blogging here as much as I used to.

I started ChristinaVille on April 4th, 2010, can you believe it has really been that long? My intention for starting ChristinaVille was to have an outlet to share my day-to-day ramblings with whomever would listen. I didn’t really have any other goal outside of my own personal wishes, and in the last few months, I have been really convicted that I need to be blogging, not just for myself, but for others. I am a firm believer that we are here to learn from each others experiences. I have been having a hard time with the fact that my blog name is ChristinaVille. I know, silly right? but hear me out – ChristinaVille is a monicker my family gave to me a long time ago because I always want things done my way; I guess it is the plight of being born the oldest to 5 girls. Evens though I still struggle with wanting things done my way a lot of the time, I want my message to encompass more than me.

More than anything I want to help women realize that their wildest dreams can come true, and they can truly have the life that they desire. To help make that happen, I have decided that I will no longer be updating ChristinaVille, and have started a new blog called This Artsy Life. I will however, keep ChristinaVille up on the internet so all of the many hundreds of posts that I have written thus far will continue to be available to anyone interested in reading them.

My goal at This Artsy Life is to create a space where women can find resources, and encouragement to go after their dreams, while living a creative, art-filled life. It will be an evolving process, and even as I speak about it now, I am not sure how I will make it happen, but I know in my soul that this is the next step in my evolution. It is my job to be brave and take it.

Starting over is scary, but I think that having a clean slate is going to be exactly what I need to get from where I am to where I want to be.

I would be so honored if you would join me there, and subscribe to This Artsy Life. I know that I still have a lot more to share in my life, and I would LOVE for you to be a part of my journey!

Thank you so much for so many FABULOUS days! Here is to many, many more!! 😉

If you want to have a different life, you have to live differently!!

The Big Gala!

Good evening!

This is going to be a short post this evening! I have a to-do list that seems to be a mile long, but I promised my sister, Alexa, that I would share some pictures as soon as I was able to locate them. Well, I found them!! GO ME!!! 😉

My sweetie and I

I should probably tell you what these pictures are from. For those of you who may not already know, my sweetie and I had gastric bypass surgery this past year. My sweetie has lost 150+ pounds, and I am floating around a 95 pound loss. Anyway, every year the center where our FABULOUS team of doctors, nurses, nutritionists, physical therapists, psychologists, and counselors all do their day to day magic, host a big gala for all of their patients who have had the surgery.

My sweetie looking dapper in his tie! 😉

Needless to say, this was our first year going, and I have to tell you I was really nervous because I had no idea what to expect! Everyone gets all dressed up, and goes to the convention center here in town for a formal sit-down dinner. There is a professional photographer there and you basically get to share your stories with others, see you how your friends are doing, and pretty much just show off the newer slimmer, trimmer you!! It was like prom night for formerly obese people – ok, so that may not sound so glamorous, but trust me IT WAS!!!

Myself & BobbieJo! One of my FAVORITE peeps!!

We really did have an amazing time!! I look forward to going again next year, after I have been out of surgery for over a year! I can’t wait to see what I look like then!!

Anyway, we have not gotten our professional pictures yet, but I will be very happy to share those with you when I get my hands on them!!

Here is to a FABULOUS night! 🙂

If you want to have a different life, you have to live differently!!

Doing New Things!

Good evening!

I am having such a freaking good day, that I could not help but get excited and tell you all about it!!! 🙂

First of all, after over a year on hiatus, I have started writing my morning pages again! For those of you that may not know, morning pages are a tool that Julia Cameron developed, who by the way is the author of The Artist’s Way, a fabulous book that I highly recommend for anyone wanting to tap into their authentic inner self!! Anyway, back to morning pages, it is basically writing, free-hand your randomly flowing thoughts for 3 pages first thing every morning. It is a great way to tap into your inner self, and to really listen to what God is trying to tell you and what your soul is longing for or feeling. When I first started doing morning pages, it was about the beginning of 2011, and at the time, I swore I would never stop doing them because they just have therapeutic way of helping you clear your head and see the world from a clear vantage point! Well, long story short, life happens and I stopped doing writing in my mornings, among other things.

You may have also noticed that I have not been blogging very much lately. Well, I have a confession. Not only have I not been connecting with myself by writing my morning pages, I stopped doing my artist dates, my belly dancing class, all forms of exercising, and blogging! Blogging, and all of these other things are so intimate and personal, and I really was sick of spending time with myself. I have realized that I have really been suffering from not wanting to spend any quality time with myself, so I have been doing everything and anything to keep the external chatter so loud that I have not been able to hear myself think. Literally. and I have to tell you, when I realized that this is what I had been doing, I was not only surprised, but realized I needed to turn off all of the external stimuli and get in touch with me again!!! My inner child was definitely starting to throw a hissy fit wanting to just have some pj time at home, with no obligations or commitments. So…. after a weekend of sitting around in my pajamas all weekend, doing almost nothing except reading, spending quality time with my sweetie, watching movies, and crocheting like a fiend, I decided it was time to make time for me, and put my internal dialogue back into the forefront of my life again.

I am recommitting to my morning pages!

I am recommitting to blogging!

I am recommitting to taking long walks to absolutely nowhere!

I am recommitting to dancing like a crazy person for no other reason that it is just absolutely fun!!

I am recommitting to singing at the top of my lungs! My neighbors deserve to have a good laugh every once in a while too!!!

and I am recommitting to listen to myself. To my inner Chrissie, and whatever it is that she needs to have heard.

I am here.

I can be quiet.

I am listening.

I know my inner me has something that she is just struggling to get out into the universe, and I have decided it is time to start making the actions that will help her, instead of hold her back!! So, this morning, I woke up extra early! Walked my half-asleep self into my freezing cold art studio, and wrote, wrote, wrote!!! When I was done, I hadn’t felt so free in a really, REALLY long time!! Like I had lifted the weight of the world off of my shoulders.

This simple act of spending time with myself writing emboldened me to do more with my day, so I decided that as soon as I got off from work this afternoon, that I would head over to the local high school track and I would walk, walk, walk, but first I would jog a quarter of a mile. Ok, I realize that may not sound like a lot to some of you, but I am a 37 year old, former 330 pound woman, who hasn’t had serious exercise in about 6 months, this was a pretty good freaking start!!! One of my goals this year is to run a mile, and then a 5k, and eventually a 10k, but let’s not get ahead of myself!!! 😉

Finally, when we did get home, I have a mountain of about 500 books that I am working on selling online, but in all honesty I had COMPLETELY overwhelmed myself with the daunting thought of

“WHERE IN THE HECK DO I EVEN BEGIN TO TACKLE THIS ONE???”

Well, I realized that if I can jog a quarter of a mile, on a whim, I certainly could post a few books online to sell, just to get the ball rolling. Well, I committed to posting 5 books, and ended up posting 12 – that really does take a lot more time than one might think that would take!!

Happy, Happy Girl!!! 😉

Anyway, I feel so at ease, like there is hope for tonight, hope for tomorrow. I really can do what I put my mind to if I am willing to step up to the mirror and just face it.

No more hiding.

No more wishing someone else would make it all happen for me.

Today is the day.

Now is the time.

and that realization is energizing!!!

Here is to a FABULOUS evening, not being afraid to get quiet and listen!! 😉

If you want to have a different life, you have to live differently!!

Time for An Update!

Good evening!

I realize I am severely overdue on a post, and thought I should just stop procrastinating and get on that this evening!!

I would love to tell you that I have been uber-productive, and that I have tons of great news, but really?? my life is automatic-mode at the moment. I am busy, really busy. Almost to the point of asking myself, “why the heck am I keeping myself so busy for?” None of it is terribly important, but maybe it has become my habit??

My sweetie and are still working on getting out of non-mortgage debt. We have 4 of 6 credit cards gone, and our car to finish paying off. We have been working like crazy people to make that happen, and thankfully that should be accomplished by next August!!

YEAH!! I SERIOUSLY CAN NOT WAIT!!!

On my weight loss journey…I have lost 85 pounds so far, which I know is a WHOLE HECK OF A LOT, but my weight loss is really just going so slowly, and the fact that I have been plateaued for a few weeks is really getting discouraging!! On a positive note, I am getting ready to go back in to make sure my thyroid medicine is at the right dosage, but we are thinking maybe not so much, so hopefully we can get that resolved soon, and my weight can start coming off again! I know I only have a 12 to 18 month magic window where my body is supposed to reset itself, so I am ready to get that moving again soon!! 😉

Married life is AWESOME!! Jason and I are doing FAMOUSLY!!! I honestly have to admit that we are back in the honeymoon phase and we just could not be happier with each other, so that is FREAKIN’-FABULOUS!!!

Oh, I have a confession to make – I have become a HuluPlus junkie!! Jason and I don’t normally watch too much television, but for some reason, as the weather has been getting colder, and the days shorter, I find that I have been gluing my heinie to the tele for hours on end!! It is awesome to be able to catch up on some of our favorite shows, as well as find waaaaaay too many new ones to fall in to!! I seriously need to do something about this!! I know that my body would benefit so much more if I spent the time exercising, or dancing, or playing, or really just about anything, but there you go!! 😉

What else?? Well, we are all decorated for Christmas, and have bought all of the presents we are going to buy this year, so that feels good to be done with all of that!! This year, as most every year, we are going down to my family’s place in Roseburg. I will try and make it a point to post some of our Christmas pics later this weekend!

OH, another new obsession…CROCHETING!!! My girlfriend, Chris and I have been crocheting like fiends every day at lunch! It is quite addicting!!! I have already gotten a baby blanket made, and am just now starting another throw blanket! We are actively working on recruiting some fellow crocheters to join us once a month for a stitch-and-bitch club, which I think would be a HOOT!!! Any volunteers??? 😉

Alright, I think that is about it for this evening’s rambling session!! I am planning on getting some crocheting done, while watching some tele – I know, I did just say that I have to break the cycle, but really? I just am not feeling in the mood to change my bad habits this evening!! 😉

Here is to a FABULOUS evening!! 😉

If you want to have a different life, you have to live differently!!

WOW! How Time Flies!

Good evening!

I realized it has been a while since I have posted, and I wanted to make a point to get on this evening and give some quick updates on how everything is going.

Long story short…

Life is good!!

Physically:

As far as my weight loss goes, things have been going rather well. So far I am down about 75 pounds, but am plateuaing at the moment, which is frustrating, but very normal, so I am not too worried!! Now that the weather has gotten really cold and rainy, it has been a bit more difficult to get out and get moving, so I am going to have to get creative! Maybe some workout videos, or mall walking, or something like that! 🙂

I have to tell you, I am so proud of my sweetie! As you may remember, he had bariatric surgery 6 weeks before I had, and as of this morning he has lost 139 pounds so far, bring his total weight to under 300 pounds! Isn’t that AMAZING?? I am really just so proud of him!!! Keep up the good work, love!!! 🙂

Financially:

Jason and I are still going through Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University, and we are making leaps and bounds kind of progress – at least to us!! You may know that there are 7 steps to Dave’s plan, and Jason and I have completed step 1, Put $1,000 away for a mini emergency fund. We are currenlty working on step 2, and that is to pay off all of your non-mortgage debt. This step is going to take us at least a year to complete.

We have been busily selling items from our home to try and help pay this debt off. I have sold most of my clothes on E-Bay, and Jason has sold a hide-a-bed-loveseat, and our old laptop! This has been great, because not only can we use the extra room in our tiny place, it has felt really good to get debt paid off. So far we have paid off 3 of our 6 credit cards, and 3 of our medical bills!! That is such a GREAT feeling! At this point, we are thinking this step will be finished in August 2013. YEAH!!!

Home:

Besides getting some items out of the house sold, Jason and I have been actively downsizing, purging unneeded belongings. Our goal is to have everything we own fit into our two bed, one car garage condo. It is just too insane to have so much STUFF when you think that only 2 people live here!! I know that we have been married 17 years, so we have had quite some time to accumulate all of this stuff. So, we have a lot of work to do to accomplish this goal, but I know in the past month or so, we have made a lot of progress!!

Work:

Work is good and work is not so good! It is good, because I am on a FABULOUS team, with supportive management. It is not so good because we have so much work to do and there are only 3 of us to get all of that work done. How we are going to manage without some serious stress (or some serious drinking (just kidding)) I have no idea!!! It doesn’t look like things are going to let up until about May or June of next year!! I guess we are just going to have to hunker down and do the best we can with what we’ve got!! GO TEAM!!! 😉

Sweetie:

Last but not least! Life really has been so good! Jason and I are doing great, our relationship is stronger than ever. It still awes me that even after 17 years of marriage you can actctually be in love with your spouse! Not only that, but passion doesn’t have to die – with some devoted time and attention, you really can keep the flame burning!! I think that it has been helpful that we are in better shape than when we were first married! Our energy levels are through the roof!!

I have said it before, and I have a feeling I will keep saying it again!!

LIFE IS GOOD!!

Ok, so I am done gushing and rambling about my life is going!!

I am off to spend a nice, quiet evening with my sweetie!!

Here is to a FABULOUS evening! ;-)

If you want to have a different life, you have to live differently!

Beautiful Creatives

Empowering your juicy life!

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